Ten Easy Game Avatars

If you've ever frequented the Avatar Chat, you'll know that game avatars can be some of the toughest to get. Not everybody is good at games, and most who are aren't good at all of them. I personally have 315 avatars and I'm still missing five game ones! Most users simply don't put the time and effort into getting game avatars. But game avatars are also very prestigious. They're the only avatars on the site that you can't earn with the help of another player (with the exception of plot-related ones, I suppose). Sporting a rare game avatar can instantly gain you respect on the neoboards, and shows that you intend to be a serious avatar collector.

A lot of the game avatars take a good combination of skill and luck, but some are easier than you think. Of course, I can't tell you how to get them (that would take the fun out of it!), but I can give you hints as to which games you should try. I guarantee you that even if you're not good at games (or think you're not good at games) you can get these avatars within a day of trying (most much less than that).

For the sake of clarity, I'm only going to talk about flash games. Most of the game avatars that aren't flash games are incredibly easy to get; flash games are generally considered more difficult, and therefore more elusive.

1. Suteks Tomb

This game is very simple. The object is to swap two pieces to line up three or more of the same pictures in a row. Making chains of four or five will give you even more points. While it can be quite dull at times, it is very simple.

This game is made even easier by two great codes:

Type "pyramibread" to see a move if you get stuck. You can use this as many times as you need!

Type "plzsutekcanihavemoretime" ("plz sutek can i have more time" without the spaces) to add 30 seconds to the clock if you get close to losing.

This is the sort of game you can't beat; you just keep playing until you lose. You will probably be able to go on much longer than you need to.

2. Magax: Destroyer

If you ever played the original version of this game and said to yourself you'll never get the avatar, good news! The game was changed several years back and now it's a lot easier.

This game has 10 levels, and you beat each level by shooting a predetermined number of fire-breathing Scorchios. In addition to Scorchios you'll also encounter Cybunnies and, in the later levels, JubJubs.

Scorchios: These are worth 10 points each. They only take one hit to kill, but they do breathe fire and the fire can block your shot.

Cybunnies: These are worth 20 points each and DON'T count towards the number of enemies you need to defeat to advance to the next level. They require 4 hits to kill. Be careful, though--sometimes the Cybunnies turn into Hubrid Nox, who throws fire at you that prevents you from shooting or moving vertically. These are a key part of increasing your score.

JubJubs: In the later levels you may see tiny JubJubs. These are worth one point each, and are really only important if you're going for a high score.

What makes this game easy is there's only two ways to lose:

1. Run out of health: The only way you can lose health is if you run into enemies. You can refill your health by getting the glowing skulls, or, if you're desperate, by typing "xagam" (once per game).

2. Run into Hubrid Nox: If a Cybunny turns into Hubrid Nox and you fly into him, it's automatic game over. If he hits you with his fire, though, it does no damage; just fly away until the flame goes away and then head back and attack. Do your best to fly away from him if he does appear.

You only need two tips for this game: Be patient, and keep your distance. Don't go rushing across the screen because that's how you're going to fly into enemies. And if you keep your distance from your enemies, you won't lose any health. The levels aren't timed and there's no time bonus in this game at all. Not only that, none of the monsters have long-range attacks, whereas you do.

Beating the game doesn't take much skill, but it may take you a few tries to adjust to the game play.

3. Whack-a-Kass

This is considered one of the easiest games on Neopets and one of the most commonly owned game avatars. But if you don't have it yet, here are some helpful tips:

Play on the hardest level. If you have to unlock the bat, the following tips will help you do that.

Swing at Kass when he's right around where your eyes are.

The key to having him stay up in the air is to HOLD down the spacebar (or the mouse if you're using that) until he's just about leveled out in the air. You should notice him float down towards the ground that way, and that gains a lot of distance.

It's always best to swing when the wind is at 8 or 9--9 is the highest the wind can be. If you're having a lot of trouble I recommend only swinging at 9.

To make Kass go even further, hit the spacebar (or click him) every time he hits the ground to make him bounce. This takes some practice to get the timing right, though.

The hardest part about this avatar is just unlocking the bat. If you can do that, this avatar is no problem.

4. The Buzzer Game

If you don't have this avatar, DON'T SKIP THIS PART! I put this avatar off for so long because I'm not good at keeping the mouse steady, and then I learned a few things:

1. You don't need any time bonuses to get this avatar (or to beat the game). You do not lose if you run out of time, you just don't get any extra points. The only way you lose a life is if you go outside of the wire.

2. Type 'cheese' at the beginning to see your cursor. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! As long as your mouse is inside of the black circuit, you'll stay alive.

3. If you're like me and have trouble keeping the mouse steady, use your other hand to hold it steady. I used the mouse with my right hand and my left hand grabbed my right wrist to make sure I didn't make any sudden jerks.

4. Make sure your mouse has a nice open area to move through; you may not have the ability to pick it up and move it to a more convenient location in the middle of a level.

5. TAKE YOUR TIME. This is the most important tip. Go very slowly, inch by inch, to complete each circuit. If you can beat one, you can beat them all, so long as you take your time.

If you can't get through the first level or two, it means you're going too fast. Just move very, very slowly and try to keep your cursor in the middle of the black area. You don't have to complete the level in one fluid motion; you can stop and go as needed.

5. Hannah and the Pirate Caves

This avatar is easy, mostly because doing the tutorial will earn you tons of points that carry over into the main game. The tutorial should teach you how to play the game and get you used to the game play without putting you in many dangerous situations. Before you know it, you'll have tons of points and just be starting the main game!

Each level has its own twists and turns, but the beginning ones are not very difficult. Practicing the levels will help you remember what to do and what not to do, and you'll quickly become an expert at this one.

This is a shockwave game so if you're having trouble getting the game to load, try Internet Explorer.

6. Dice Escape

This game is widely considered to be one of the easiest. There are several petpage guides that can tell you exactly how to move, but instead I'll just give you general tips:

You get more points for using fewer moves.

You get more points for completing the level quickly.

Coins will give you extra points, but don't go out of your way to get them. You lose 4 points for every move you make, so if it's going to take you 3 extra moves to get to a silver coin, you lose 12 points + time for a 10 point bonus.

Try to get a gold coin on the first level if you can. Gold coins are worth 25, so getting more of these will greatly increase your score.

6. Advert Attack

This is another game that got made easier from its original release. This is also a game that can be quite frustrating if you don't play it right. If you do get frustrated, take a break and try again later.

The object is to click all the Go! buttons before time runs out. On the first level, this is really easy. Quickly hit all the Go! buttons as fast as you can and advance to the next level. Speed is DEFINITELY an important factor in your score for this game, so make sure you play as quickly as possible.

After the first level advertisements will start popping up. The key to getting the avatar: Don't close them. Closing ads will just make another one pop up right away, whereas if you ignore it they pop up slower. Ignore the ads at all costs, unless one is completely covering your next Go! button. In this case, move the ad instead of closing it. Moving it out of the way (for example, above the box where the buttons can show up) will not cause another one to pop up in its place and will save you time in the long run. Close it only if it's blocking all or most of your screen or it's the only way to get to the Go! button.

7. Meepit vs Feepit

Knowing the controls is a very important part of this game: Use Z to punch, X to kick and C to defend. Up makes you jump, down makes you crouch, and left and right move you across the screen.

The key to attacking your opponent is to make combos. These combos are Punch-Kick-Punch-Kick (zxzx) and Kick-Punch-Kick-Punch (xzxz). You can type zxz, get close to your opponent, and then press x to launch it at him. It's usually smartest to have your combos already ready to go with just the click of one key.

The other key to getting this one is knowing how to maximize your points. Beating each level means winning 3 out of 5 matches. But what some people don't know is that you get more points if you Win 3 and lose 2 than if you win 3 and lose 0. This is because you get points just for attacking your opponent, regardless of whether you win or lose. So play the game like you normally would. If you have two wins and you don't have two losses, lose on purpose. Get your opponent's health down to very low and then let him beat you. This lets you play another round with him and gives you another opportunity for points.

8. Petpet Rescue

Some people might be surprised I put this on the list, but to me this game is pretty simple. At the start of each level, it tells you how many petpets you need to save. Simply pick up a petpet and carry it back to the door at the bottom of the screen.

The key to scoring high is to make sure you pick up all the gems on each level. To do this, you'll need to cross the river (which is actually essential on most levels). The purple gems are worth 5 points, the blue ones are worth 10, and the green ones are worth 15.

Also make sure you watch out for the falling stalactites (or stalagmites? I'm never sure which is which). If you see one willing at the top of the screen, that means it's going to fall on you soon so try to stay away from there if you can. If you're crossing the river, it may even mean moving backwards, but it's worth it if you don't have to lose a life.

Make getting the gems your first priority, especially starting in level 3 and beyond. You don't have to carry the gems back to the entrance, so they're easy points.

9. TNT Staff Smasher

This game requires quick reflexes but is certainly doable. The trick is to get as many points as possible in the earliest levels of the game. I only have a few tips for this one:

Whack as many staff members as possible in the early levels.

Make sure you're clicking the tops of their heads and not their faces - you're bopping them on the head, not slapping them in the face! (That would just be mean. :P)

ALWAYS go for Poptart - aka Donna, the woman in the avatar. She's worth 20 points, which is more than anybody. You may recognize Adam from the Number Six avatar, but he's actually only worth 3 points (the lowest), so if you have to choose between him and another staffer always choose to bop the other one!

As you play, you'll recognize which staffers tend to be worth the most points.

You want to try to get at least 200 points per level for the first few levels. This is how you know you're playing fast enough.

Towards the end of the game, narrow the area in which you'll try to hit the staffers. It can be too much work to fly across the screen when they only appear for half a second. Narrow your area to one half of the screen, or even just to two cubicles. You won't have the opportunity to hit as many, but you'll probably hit more anyways.

10. Nimmos Pond

Ok, guys, hear me out. I know a lot of users have trouble with this avatar, but it's not that hard if you're willing to invest the time in it, and know the strategies.

1. Weapon

The way weapons work is the more of the same color you acquire, the stronger your weapon is. The powerups must be acquired consecutively. If you get a yellow star, a green star, and then a yellow star, you only have a Level 1 yellow weapon, not a level 2 yellow weapon.

The yellow star weapon is the best weapon in the game, so try to get this one if you can. But if you're not lucky and don't get yellow stars just collect more green ones. You start with a Level 1 green by default. Don't get the red powerup; that one really stinks. When I got the avatar, I went halfway through the game with a level 3 yellow weapon, and then the rest of the game with a level 6 green weapon.

2. Bombs

Save your bombs for when they're absolutely needed. When are they absolutely needed? When a giant lily pad is heading straight towards you and you won't be able to shoot it down in time. This is an appropriate time to use a bomb. You have 3 to start with and if you use up one you can eat another bomb powerup. Powerups don't disappear from level to level so don't be afraid to let them pile up until you use one and then need another.

3. Don't move.

That's right. You CAN move your lily pad but it's smartest not to. It's easier to shoot from one position than to move and shoot while you're constantly moving. Only turn left and right, don't move up and around. It'll be hard to stop again. If you need to avoid a lily pad coming right at you, use a bomb.

If you need to collect health powerups, bombs, etc., you can wait until you have just one small lily pad left on your screen. Don't shoot it, but let it float around and then take your time for the powerups to come your way and eat them up so that you're prepared for the next level. Having three bombs in your arsenal can be the difference between beating the next level and losing the game.

You may not get lucky your first few tries but once you get the right combination of powerups, you will get this avatar. Just requires time and patience.

Now that you have some tips, I challenge you to go play those games and get those avatars! If you still need additional help, just keep practicing. Just remember: believing you can get the avatar is the most important part of being able to! Resigning yourself to failure right from the start won't lead to anything good. I guarantee that with these tips, a little practice, and some patience, all ten of these avatars will be yours.